- Hey everyone. In this video I am going to take you behind the scenes and show you my daily setup, the equipment that I use, how I like to teach my classes and have my space set up whether this is a class, or whether it is a coaching session or a one on one session, I'm gonna take you behind the scenes and show you exactly what my daily setup looks like. If this is our first time meeting, hi, I am Ashlee Espinosa. I have an MFA in musical theater and I am a musical theater coach, an educator, an actor, a director. And here on my YouTube channel I do videos for online teachers that use Canvas that are using online technology and tools, as well as videos for actors. So here is my setup in my home office that I teach from every single day. I know that many of us are transitioning to full time teaching online. So I wanna show you what has worked for me and the equipment I use because I get this question all the time right now from folks. So every single item that I'm going to talk about in this video, I'm also going to link it down below in the description box. So you can check it out and if it's right for you, you can easily purchase that item. What's important to me about my setup is that it's simple, it's easy to use, and I don't have to reset it up every single day. I actually leave this in my office most all of the time. And all of the equipment that I'm going to tell you about and show you today is going to be what I use to teach all of my classes and my coaching sessions. Whether it's a full class or a one on one session. My go-to equipment is going to be my ring light, but I use this for every single class. And the reason why is because it brightens my face. And it makes it look a little bit nicer on screen for my students. If you're teaching evening classes, this is really going to be helpful for you. Now, let's say for example, that you want a smaller version. Maybe you don't have a desk that has a backside. There's a wall perhaps on the other side of your desk, there is a smaller version that you can use. That's going to give you the ability to still have a little bit of light, but it's going to be a smaller compact size. If you do have a window though, I have one right here on the right side of my office, as much natural light as you can possibly get though, but this ring light is key. The next piece of equipment that I use every single day, you can see it right here it is my microphone. Now, this microphone is the Fifine microphone. I find it really easy, really affordable. I'll put the link in the description below for you, but I really like the arm that comes across. At first, I was using one that was sitting on my desk, and I was a little hesitant to get the arm. But let me tell you what it has done is cleared up all of the space on my desk. So the microphone is lifted. And I don't hit it when I'm working or when I'm grabbing a drink or whatnot during class. Making it lifted is not only better for you, but it's also better for the students. It really gets a better clearer sound for them. So this version came with the whole package you see. It also comes with a little stand, a little tripod stand for the microphone. So if you're traveling or if you're teaching a class and you're on the go, I just spent a lot of time down in Mexico and instead of taking the full arm with me, I took the little tripod, set it on the desk and still had great sound quality. So it's kind of like two in one. I do use this microphone right now, for this YouTube video. This is the one I'm using. But if I'm doing my podcast or I'm recording voiceovers or vocals or any type of performance style video, I will use a different microphone that's more expensive. You can also plug this one right into your computer, it uses a USB export into your laptop or your desktop, whatever version you're using. So it's really great because it plugs straight into your computer and you can record tutorials or videos or use it for any Zoom conferences, meetings or classes. Obviously the next piece of equipment you need is a computer. I really like using a laptop because it is going to have a longer battery life. It also gives me more abilities when I'm in Zoom when I teach my classes, it's a little bit more accessible for me on the moderator side. So I have quick access to everything. And also the reason why is because I use my iPad for my notes, and I'm gonna get to that in just one second. So a laptop, I do use a MacBook Pro, but any desktop, any laptop is great. The next piece of equipment that I use is, of course, my iPad. This iPad is actually quite old. It's not even a newer version, it's a smaller version. I use my iPad because I have Google Docs, and I have all of my lesson plans and my notes and everything I want to make sure that I do during my class on my iPad so I can easily go from my computer to my iPad and see it set up right here next to me, so I don't have to go through a lot of papers and whatnot. Also, I really like that it's on an angle. I like a sleeve on it. So it's sitting up and I don't have to look down at my notes while I'm teaching. Another piece of equipment I use is a Bose speaker, if I'm playing any type of music or track or if I want to play my keyboard that I have on my iPad. If I have a student that I wanna pick a pitch for them, or if I'm doing a little bit of warm-ups that I like to do for some of
my performance-based classes, I can play a few chords on my iPad and I have my Bose speaker right behind me and then Bluetooth from one to the other. So it's a really great way to get more volume and sound when you want to play an audio versus just from your iPad or your laptop. I of course always have my iPhone next to me so that way if someone is texting me or if something happens, I can easily access it right here on my hand. I like to have a pop socket on it so we can stay standing on it or again I can tilt it and put it on the side and kind of have it laid out next to me as well. Most importantly, you wanna make sure that you have your computer plugged in if it's not a desktop, plug in your laptop. I always have mine charging because I don't want my computer to die in the middle of a class. So I always have it plugged in. Now, I can teach like this all day long for eight hours, feel comfortable, feel like I have everything organized and my space right here is clean, so I can stay focused on my students while I am teaching online. If this video was helpful for you, please consider giving it a like, a thumbs up. Click the subscribe button so you don't miss any more videos in the future. And I will see you in the next video. All right. Happy teaching.
